Garbage Truck Accident Lawyer

Since the 1800s, garbage trucks have been used to keep our cities clean. While they started as horse-drawn carriages, today’s garbage trucks are massive machines that collect tons of trash every day. When a garbage truck travels through a neighborhood, they pose a serious risk to pedestrians, drivers, and others who share the road.

This is especially true in areas where garbage is collected early in the morning. When a garbage truck is on the road when it’s still dark out, it is much more difficult for the drivers of these trucks to see others on the road. In 2017, there were 107 garbage trucks involved in fatal crashes across the United States. In addition, there were 1,427 garbage truck accidents that resulted in injuries, and there were 2,430 wrecks that resulted in at least one vehicle being disabled.

On average, a garbage truck weighs about 64,000 pounds. When a truck that size collides with a passenger car, which on average weighs about 3,000 pounds, the results are often devastating. Drivers may suffer severe injuries, property damage, and more.

If you have been involved in a garbage truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation. At Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers, we can take on the insurance company on your behalf to help you get the money you deserve. Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with a garbage truck accident lawyer by calling 800-559-5741 or contacting us online today.

What Causes Garbage Truck Accidents?

Traditionally, garbage is collected early in the morning to avoid traffic and minimize disturbances made by the trucks. While this sounds great in theory, the unfortunate fact is that we often start our days before the sun comes up. When garbage trucks are traveling through neighborhoods, there may be joggers out, people may be heading to work or school, and other activities may be going on.

Because it’s so early in the morning, garbage truck drivers may not see early birds who are out and about. What’s more, they may be fatigued, and therefore not fully aware of their surroundings. These are two of the most common reasons garbage truck accidents happen. Of course, they aren’t the only reasons.

A garbage truck accident can happen for any number of reasons, including:

Going the wrong way on one-way streets, or driving on the wrong side of the road
Taking up too much of the road
Not monitoring surroundings
Distracted driving
Not paying attention to blind spots
Failure of backup warning system
Failure of loader arm equipment
Brake failure
Not yielding to others on the road

And many more. No matter the cause of the wreck, if it wasn’t your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. Our experienced garbage truck accident lawyers can help you get the money you deserve.

How Common Are Garbage Truck Accidents?

As we mentioned before, thousands of garbage truck accidents happen every year. In fact, many of these types of wrecks were in the news in 2019. Some of these collisions include:

In December, a garbage truck collided with a fuel truck in Wisconsin, leading to both drivers being injured.
In June, two waste management workers were injured when a garbage truck driver veered off the road and glanced a utility pole in Maryland.
In August, a speeding garbage truck was unable to stop in time, rear-ending a pickup truck and causing a 5-car accident in California, leading to three people being injured.

It’s not just other drivers and pedestrians who are in danger of being injured in garbage truck accidents. It’s common for waste management workers to stand on the back of the truck to quickly load garbage onto the truck. That leaves them extremely vulnerable to injuries in the event of an accident.

Whether you’re a waste management employee, a driver, a pedestrian, a bicyclist or anyone else on the road, if you’re injured in a garbage truck accident, you have rights. Let us take on the insurance company on your behalf.

Get a Free Case Evaluation with a Garbage Truck Accident Lawyer

Waste management companies are massive. In fact, they usually have a monopoly in whatever city they operate in. That means they have a lot of money — which they freely spend on lawyers when one of their vehicles are involved in a wreck. If you hire an inexperienced attorney to go up against garbage truck companies and their insurers, you should know that you’re probably in for a fight.

If you’ve suffered injuries or other damages, you need a law firm that knows how to successfully handle these kinds of cases. At Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers, we have represented truck accident victims for over 26 years. We know how to get our clients the compensation they deserve for damages such as:

Property damage
Past and future medical bills
Past and future rehabilitation costs
Lost wages
Pain and suffering
Physical disfigurement
Temporary or permanent disability
Lost earning capacity
Out-of-pocket expenses
Wrongful death
And more

After your wreck, there’s a good chance the insurance company will send you a settlement offer. This offer will likely be far less than what you deserve. Insurance companies know this, but they also know you’ll likely be strapped for cash, so you may take the first offer they send. Once you do, you forfeit your right to seek greater compensation.

Before you accept any settlement offer, give us a call first. During your free consultation, we’ll review all of the facts of your case, including any offer you’ve received, to determine if we can get you more money.

We’re here 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to talk to you. Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with a garbage truck accident lawyer by calling 800-559-5741 or contacting us online today.